Chapter 119 Tape Recorder
The towel factory's staff dormitory failed to pass the acceptance inspection, and the Construction Bureau was criticized by the city and ordered to make prompt rectifications.
Tao Nanfeng became famous in one battle and became a feared man in the construction team. No one dared to underestimate him anymore.
When Qian Liming saw Tao Nanfeng, he was like a mouse seeing a cat, and he didn't dare to say a single bad word. He was afraid that if he said one more word, this lady would be unhappy. If she pointed out some problems with the construction quality, he would have no chance of living.
Ouyang Cheng, Zhao Liang and others were discussing how to remedy the situation. Tao Nanfeng wisely did not say anything this time. The crux of the problem had been found, and it was time for the structural experts to show up. He could not take the limelight for everything.
Tao Shouxin was very pleased that Tao Nanfeng could be strong when he should be strong and low-key when he should be low-key.
When they got home, Tao Shouxin was smiling the whole time, which made Xiangbei curious. He asked, "Did you encounter anything interesting during the inspection today? Dad is so happy today."
When Tao Shouxin told Liang Yinzhen what happened today, she exclaimed, "Oh my, luckily my Nanfeng is doing well, otherwise he would have been bullied by the construction team."
Xiangbei nodded aside: "This is how things are in the world. If you are strong, he will be weak. If you are weak, he will be strong."
The loquats in the yard have already borne fruit. Although they are not big, they look very tempting hanging on the branches in bright yellow. Tao Nanfeng took the loquat handed to him by Liang Yinzhen and took a bite. It was sour, sweet and juicy. He squinted his eyes and said, "Delicious!"
Xiangbei knew that she liked to eat it, so he picked a big bunch and placed it on the table in the main room. Liang Yinzhen muttered: Sour boy, spicy girl, it seems Nanfeng is giving birth to a son this time.
Xiangbei was afraid that his mother favored boys over girls, so he deliberately said, "People say that if the baby is a girl, the mother will become beautiful. I think it's a girl."
Liang Yinzhen glanced at him in disapproval, "Why are you contradicting me? You only have one child. I like both grandchildren and grandsons. Look at Nanfeng's figure. From behind, she doesn't look like she's pregnant. It must be a son. You're a man and you don't understand. I've been pregnant with three children, so I have a lot of experience."
Xiang Bei immediately realized the problem when he heard it: "Three?"
Liang Yinzhen's face changed slightly, and her eyes drooped: "You are the only one who insists on arguing with me. What I mean is that I have been pregnant with three sons, so I have a lot of experience."
There are four children in the Xiang family, Xiangdong, Xiangnan, Xiangbei and Xiangqian, three sons and one daughter. Liang Yinzhen is a very kind and loving mother. She would not confuse the two completely different concepts of child and son.
What's more, Liang Yinzhen's eyes were twitching and her gaze was wandering, and it was obvious that something was on her mind.
Xiangbei had the keenness of a scout and was suspicious, but seeing that his mother's face looked strange, he did not ask any further questions. Perhaps this is a painful past event for the mother, so why bother asking or talking too much.
Parents are so kind to us, respectful and caring, so what does it matter if they are not their biological children?
At night, Xiangbei hugged Tao Nanfeng's waist and expressed his doubts: "Nanfeng, if I am not my parents' biological child, would you feel unhappy?"
Tao Nanfeng became more emotional after she became pregnant. She snuggled gently in his arms, listened to his steady heartbeat, and whispered, "Why should you be unhappy? The grace of giving birth and raising is equally deep. Mom takes care of you and me in every possible way. She wants to give her all. This kind of love has surpassed blood ties. I respect her very much."
Xiangbei put his chin on the top of Tao Nanfeng's head and rubbed it slowly. Being able to hug the woman he deeply loves, who is pregnant with their love child, his life is complete and has no regrets.
"I guess. My parents lost all three of their children. In that war-torn era, the pain of losing a child must have been very, very heavy. I am lucky that they adopted me and raised me. From now on, we will be filial to them together."
Tao Nanfeng closed her eyes and hummed, "I'm a mother now. Every day when I feel my child kicking his legs in my belly, I feel a sense of happiness that we are connected by blood. Whenever I think about being separated from him, I feel so painful that I can't breathe. I really can't imagine the pain my mother felt when she watched her three children die. Mom's past was so hard, we must treat her better."
Tao Nanfeng knew that Liang Yinzhen liked children. Now that she was pregnant, her maternal instinct became stronger and he could better understand her pain of losing her child. No matter whether Xiangbei is her biological or adopted child, she only recognizes Liang Yinzhen as her mother-in-law.
Xiangbei said: "Now that we have money, we don't know what mom likes. Should we buy something for her?"
Tao Nanfeng made a suggestion: "Tomorrow, Sunday, shall we take Mom to go shopping?"
As a result, the next day, as soon as I said I was going to the store to buy something, Liang Yinzhen waved her hand and said, "No, no, there are too many people in the department stores in big cities. I feel dizzy just looking at them. I feel more comfortable raising chickens, growing vegetables and cooking at home. Nanfeng is pregnant, so don't go to crowded places. It's not good to get bumped into."
Xiangbei could only smile bitterly.
Liang Yinzhen thought for a moment and said, "If you really want to buy something, buy me a radio. I saw someone singing and telling stories at the village chief's house the other day. It was very lively."
Hearing this, Xiangbei secretly felt ashamed in his heart.
A radio costs 147 yuan, which is unaffordable for an ordinary family. But now that he has made money, this little money is not a problem at all. Why didn't he think of buying one?
Tao Shouxin and Tao Nanfeng were busy at university. They had many channels to obtain information and spent more time reading books and newspapers, so they never thought about buying a radio. Xiangbei runs around the wholesale department and cigarette sales outlets every day, always dealing with different people, and his life is very fulfilling.
But Liang Yinzhen and Xiang Yongfu are different. The two of them stay in a small courtyard and take care of housework. They don't know many people in the village behind the courtyard, and their entertainment activities are limited. The happiest time of the day is when the family gets together and listens to everyone talking about what’s happening outside.
If you put yourself in their shoes, you will realize that Liang Yinzhen and Xiang Yongfu feel a bit lonely staying at home.
Xiangbei said hurriedly: "Okay, I will go get the industrial ticket and buy a radio right away."
Two days later, Xiangbei came back with a big dual-purpose recorder. A full-band FM radio with a space in the center for cassettes and large silver speakers on either side.
There were also several boxes of the latest versions of tapes, comic dialogue tapes issued by Kyoto Broadcasting and Television Service, □□ golden songs, and blank recording tapes.
When Liang Yinzhen saw the large square silver-white box, her eyes lit up and she touched it curiously: "Is this a radio? It's different from the one Village Chief Wang has."
Xiangbei smiled and said, "The one at Village Chief Wang's house is a Red Lantern brand radio, and ours is the latest tape recorder, which is much more advanced." This was the most fashionable electronic product in the country in 1979, and the price was also very high.
Liang Yinzhen watched Xiangbei demonstrate, put a cassette into the middle slot, pressed the button, and after a "click" sound, a "hissing" sound of electric current was heard.
Then the musical prelude began.
Liang Yinzhen stared at the magical square box with wide eyes, heard the folk art performance inside, and quickly dragged a chair and asked Xiang Yongfu to sit down.
The old couple sat upright next to the tape recorder like children, listening to the crosstalk with their ears perked up.
“Hahahaha…” Liang Yinzhen laughed so hard that tears came out of her eyes. Xiang Yongfu also grinned and laughed silently.
When they finished listening to the crosstalk, the tape jumped out with a "click!"
Liang Yinzhen was so scared that she screamed, "Xiangbei, Xiangbei, this phone is broken, it's not making any sound."
Xiangbei patiently taught his mother how to use tapes, repeating the process of stopping, playing, and changing sides over and over again. Liang Yinzhen was a smart person and she quickly got the hang of it and had a lot of fun.
Xiang Yongfu was slow to learn new things, and he didn't understand them for a long time. He just sat there and shouted, "No more, turn it over quickly, turn it over..."
Xiangbei then taught his mother how to tune the FM radio and choose her favorite channel to listen to.
Liang Yinzhen was so happy that she couldn't stop smiling and spent the whole day tinkering with the tape recorder. Sometimes listening to storytelling, sometimes listening to crosstalk, sometimes listening to music, the whole house is filled with a joyful atmosphere.
It was the first time that Tao Nanfeng saw Liang Yinzhen so happy. He pouted at Xiangbei and smiled sweetly: "You gave a good gift. Look how happy my parents are."
Xiangbei felt a little guilty: "Alas, I didn't expect that my parents would feel lonely in a new environment. Fortunately, my mother asked for what she wanted. Now, the house is much more lively with more tape recorders."
After a few days, Tao Nanfeng's stomach began to swell like a blown-up balloon.
Five months ago, she was slim and well-proportioned, and she didn't look pregnant at all when viewed from behind. After five months, the baby suddenly grew a lot bigger, which made Liang Yinzhen a little worried.
"You don't usually eat much, how come you suddenly get bigger?"
Pregnancy check-ups were very simple in the 1970s. There were no medical equipment such as B-ultrasound, and there was no system for creating files and cards for mothers. Tao Nanfeng has always been in good health and was very busy with her studies. Except for the first blood test to confirm her pregnancy, she had never thought of going to the hospital.
Now the belly seems to be getting bigger and bigger. In just one week, I can see the protruding abdomen when I look down. The belly button is almost flattened, and fine white lines are beginning to appear on the muscles below the belly button. Tao Nanfeng is starting to worry.
Logically speaking, the fetus shouldn't grow so fast, right?
Tao Nanfeng pulled Liang Yinzhen into the room and lifted her clothes to show her: "Mom, look at my belly. Why are there suddenly spots underneath? Isn't it a little scary?"
Liang Yinzhen touched her belly and gently comforted her, "These are stretch marks. When a woman is in the later stages of pregnancy, her belly will grow too fast and stretch too much, and white lines like these will appear. Don't be afraid, every mother will have such lines. I'll get some rapeseed oil and massage you, it will relieve the pain."
Tao Nanfeng understood immediately that this was caused by the fetus growing too fast, the abdominal muscles stretched too much, and the skin fibers were broken. She frowned and asked, "Mom, how many months of pregnancy did you develop stretch marks before?"
Seeing that she looked a little nervous, Liang Yinzhen said hurriedly, "Sometimes it's earlier, some later. Generally, it starts to grow at 5 or 6 months. You are six months pregnant now, which is the time when the baby grows taller. It's normal for your belly to grow fast."
She thought for a moment and stroked Tao Nanfeng's belly again: "Your belly has grown fast this week, and it's really obvious. If you're worried, go to the hospital and ask the doctor if you need to stop eating or control your weight. Although I have experience, I'm definitely not as professional as doctors in big cities."
Tao Nanfeng thought about it and nodded: "Okay, then I'll go to the hospital to have a look and feel at ease."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
